Results 2,141-2,160 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I remind Deputy Kenny the finance officer responsible for the numbers operated under the HSE budget subhead but that is neither here nor there. The Department of Health and Children is also involved. I am giving Deputy Kenny the figures that are available from the Department's note. The Department of Health and Children conveyed sanction for a revised employment ceiling for the health...

Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——the HSE has increased its figures substantially above its approved ceiling and it is trying to bring it back in line with its own ceiling, all I would say in reply is it should not have gone above its ceiling in the first place. This is not a reduction on its approved ceiling. In most of its headings for the first half of the year, the HSE is over budget and over staffed.

Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The board of the HSE is accountable and obviously for that reason it is trying to get its figures in order. Deputy Kenny made two points, the second with which I agree. The first point he made is that a cutback has been made by the HSE in its staff complement. That is not the case. The HSE is way over its staff complement. The second point is the HSE should be using its figures, not on...

Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: That is a fact. The HSE would argue it was necessary to do that. The health board system did it on the changeover. That is a different point. I am giving Deputy Kenny the figure for the overall position. The HSE is well ahead of its figures for 2006 and 2007.

Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: A number of questions arise from this seizure and the attempted landing in west Cork of cocaine. I am told the street value of the haul would be well in excess of €100 million. Much depends on how it is mixed.

Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It would certainly be worth more than €100 million. This is a matter of serious concern. The Garda, Naval Service and Customs and Excise service are all involved in the recovery and investigation process. While it is too early to draw conclusions about the source of the drugs or their intended destination, this will emerge from the investigations. In the past number of years, there has...

Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Much of the intelligence in this regard comes from Interpol and from other sources. As for the quantity, an incident of this nature leads to speculation about successful and undetected attempts to import drugs. While I cannot state whether such attempts have taken place, when one considers an attempt of this nature one may assume it was unlikely to have been the first. Although the United...

Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: As I said at the outset, this is a matter of serious concern. There is no argument in this regard. It is not a matter of a single Revenue boat. That vessel is used for particular intelligence issues and the Naval Service is constantly on the watch around the entire coastline.

Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: However, there is no point in my trying to suggest there are no criminal elements using different orders of boats to land drugs through any of our inlets and ports as we have had a number of such seizures in the past five years. The authorities have now caught a few hundred million euro worth of drugs. There have been seizures to the value of €40 million, €50 million and €100 million...

Order of Business (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: It is proposed to take No. 10, motion re Standing Orders 39 and 116; and No. 1, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2007 — Second and Subsequent Stages. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that the Dáil shall sit later than 8.30 p.m. tonight and business shall be interrupted on the adjournment of Private Members' business, which...

Order of Business (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: Standing Order 39 relates to priority questions. It sets out the sessional order determining the sequence in which questions nominated for priority are placed on the Order Paper each day. It is based in the normal way on the number of seats held by each party in the House. Standing Order 116 relates to the Private Members' business rota. Again, it sets forth the sessional order...

Order of Business (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I was trying to be helpful to the Deputy. Even though his party has only four Members in a House of 166, he was allowed to speak last week in a debate on the European Council.

Order of Business (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I am afraid the Deputy will just have to accept, as I would have to in similar circumstances, that his party has four Members. He can no longer expect the concessions his party received when it was part of a larger group. That situation has changed. His best bet is to be nice to the Chief Whip and hope he will allow him additional speaking time.

Order of Business (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: If the Deputy wants us to play by the rules, he will have no flexibility.

Social Partnership. (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, together. Together with the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I met the leaderships of IBEC and ICTU on Wednesday last. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss implementation of the Towards 2016 agreement, against the background of ongoing concerns about inflation. For our part, I...

Social Partnership. (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: On inflation, I stated in my reply that the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and I met the leaderships of IBEC and ICTU and discussed all of these issues. As I stated, the purpose was to discuss Towards 2016, and particularly the aspects of mortgage interest rate increases — there were eight 0.25% increases over the past 18 months —...

Social Partnership. (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: The Independent Group was not represented; neither was An Phoblacht. I did not get into a discussion on these issues. From time to time I meet members of——

Social Partnership. (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: ——the media, except An Phoblacht.

Social Partnership. (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: An Phoblacht has not sought a meeting but the other press vehicle influenced by Deputy Ó Caoláin has sought a few meetings.

Social Partnership. (3 Jul 2007)

Bertie Ahern: There are a number of questions and I will try to go through them all. It is the Government's view that a wage inflationary spiral is in no one's interest. It takes the view that wage increases to chase the inflation figure never work and never have. This happened two or three times in the past decade. It always has been better for us to devote all our efforts to trying to deal with the...